Maceio Fish Auction Bidders Raise Paddles

Sea spray hangs in the tropical bright light, catching on the wet concrete floor of a roadside auction near Maceio. Several bidders stand in a loose circle, their hands raised high holding numbered wooden paddles against the pale sky. The cool season air keeps the crowd sparse, allowing long shadows to stretch across the salt-stained ground. Rough wooden crates filled with silver fish sit nearby, their scales shimmering under the harsh midday sun. A man in a faded blue shirt leans forward, his paddle angled sharply upward, while another figure in the background waits with a paddle held low. at the edge is a droplet of water sliding down the edge of a red plastic crate.